


Working Through Some Stuff

by maddiebug



Series: Standard Day in the Life of a Parisian Therapist [2]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Gen, Identity Reveal, Therapy, Trauma, You cant tell me that those kids dont have trauma im sorry they do, dont take this seriously, little bit cracky, marinettextherapy, thatd be so scary
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-31
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-17 19:07:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29105337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maddiebug/pseuds/maddiebug
Summary: "So," Dr. Past asked, "What made you choose therapy?""Yeah." Marinette shrugged, "I guess I'm just working through some stuff. I guess I never really got over everything that happened with Hawkmoth."She wrote that down. "So, I'm guessing you were akumatized? Or close to someone who was?"
Series: Standard Day in the Life of a Parisian Therapist [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2135469
Comments: 5
Kudos: 152





	Working Through Some Stuff

**Author's Note:**

  * For [walkingonthestars](https://archiveofourown.org/users/walkingonthestars/gifts).



> I wasn't going to write more with this character and then I did. 
> 
> Okay so I really thought yall we're going to make fun of me for being unable to create character names but I'm glad you didn't. 
> 
> I just looked at the word therapist and was like okay how can I make that a Name. Thera pist. Terra pist. Terra past. And that was the Name. I cannot give original characters names it always ends up being some sort of pun. 
> 
> Anyways, for reference, this takes place like five years after the other one, Adrien and Marinette are married now.

Dr. Terra Past welcomed her newest patient into the office. "Hello, I'm Dr. Past, but you can call me Terra."

The young adult smiled nervously back at her. "I'm Marinette Dupain-Cheng."

"Like the bakery?"

"Yes. My parents own the bakery. I grew up there actually."

"That's cool. I love their croissants."

"Yeah, nothing beats the taste of Maman's croissants."

"So, what brings you here today, Marinette?"

"My motorcycle?" 

Dr. Past let out a light laugh, before scribbling down "humor as a coping mechanism." "I mean, why are you here today?"

"I've been having really bad nightmares recently, and my husband suggested that I talk things through with a professional, and highly recommended you."

Nightmares. Maybe Marinette was repressing something. Dreams often have a strong link to the subconscience. Marinette was smart to go to a professional.

It was nice to hear that she was a highly recommended therapist, after all of her hard work. After all, being a therapist didn't get much attention. And it wasn't like Chat Noir and Hawkmoth could tell everyone that Dr. Terra Past had helped them work through years of family issues and child neglect.

"Husband?" It could be a sore subject for Marinette, and if so, definitely one that should be explored deeper. 

"Yeah. We've been married for a whole year. He's like my other half."

"No marital issues?"

"None." Marinette smiled. "He's my perfect partner. Its him and me against the world."

Dr. Past noted codependency, "so, you said something about nightmares?"

"Yeah, bad ones. Flashbacks. Akuma flashbacks. I guess I've been screaming in my sleep, and my husband is just worried for me."

"And, do you have any idea why these nightmares are happening?"

"I think, my whole life, I've tried to be the happy, positive person, even when everything is falling apart around me. Now, my brain is reminding me of all the times that everything fell apart and there was nothing I could do. I pretend to be happy, so that other people don't worry."

"And.. has that worked for you?" Dr. Past scribbled down "emotional repression."

"Mostly." She took a breath, "but I know that someday it's going to just build up inside of me and explode. And I don't want that to happen."

"Well, at least we aren't living in a world where you'll actually explode anything." Dr. Past joked.

"What?"

"You, know, because Hawkmoth was defeated." And, Dr. Past neglected to add, went through several years of therapy and working through his emotions.

"Yeah. That's a relief, even if part of me feels like it's never really over."

Terra wrote down, "stuck in the past."

"So," Dr. Past asked, "What made you choose therapy?"

Marinette shrugged, "I guess I'm just working through some stuff. I guess I never really got over everything that happened with Hawkmoth."

She wrote that down. "So, I'm guessing you were akumatized? Or close to someone who was?"

"I-"

"Don't want to talk about it yet?"

"No. I wasn't." Marinette frowned. "My entire class was, except for me and my friend Adrien."

"Your entire-" Dr. Past blinked, "you were a part of the akuma class?"

"Uhh, I guess?"

"No wonder." She started writing down theories. "Did you, perhaps, feel isolated from your peers because you we're never akumatized?"

"No, that's not it."

"Oh?"

Marinette shook her head. "Actually, I almost was, but something happened and the akuma stopped working. I can't believe I forgot about that day. It was such a nightmare."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Well, yeah. It started with this bully, Lila-"

"Lila Rossi?"

"Yea. How'd you know?"

"That's confidential." Dr. Past mimed zipping her lips closed. "But let's say I'm familiar with quite a few of your classmates, and many of them have problems with Lila."

"Not surprised." Marinette scoffed. "Where was I?"

"Lila lied?"

"Right-" Marinette picked up the story, "Lila lied about me cheating on a test, and stealing her necklace, and got me expelled-"

"Expelled?"

"Expelled." Marinette nodded. "And I hadn't done anything wrong. I as just so... defeated."

"And that's when Hawkmoth took advantage?"

"I guess so." Marinette hesitated, "I've never told anyone this before, but in the moment, with all of my anger and frustration exploding out, I wanted to he akumatized."

"That's not unusual."

"I-" Marinette took a shaky breath. "I wanted to be able to ruin Lila. I accepted the akuma. That's what I feel guilty for."

"You feel guilty for falling victim to manipulation? Its not your fault. You were a child and Hawkmoth is the one go blame-"

"I know, but I should've been stronger. I was supposed to be better. Everyone was counting on me, and I let them down."

So, you feel guilty, because you think you let everyone down?"

"If I had been akumatized-" Marinette shook her head. "That would've been the end for Paris."

"I'm sure Ladybug and Chat Noir could have saved the day, like always."

Marinette let out a bitter laugh. "That's where you're wrong."

"What?"

"Ladybug would never have been able to fix the day, if I was akumatized, because I was Ladybug."

Dr. Past dropped her notebook. "Who did you say your husband was?"

"Adrien Agreste."

"So, Ladybug and Chat Noir did end up together. I always wondered..."

"I feel like my personal life is none of your business."

"Marinette, you're here with me to unpack your personal life."

"Oh, right."

Well, it wasn't Hawkmoth being Chat Noir's father, but Dr. Past certainly had her hands full with Marinette. 

What kind of trauma Ladybug had from seeing the world fall apart so Many times... she could only imagine. 


End file.
